


You Gave the Cat, What!?

by velvetcake96



Series: How to Keep a Cat From Biting (Series) [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Again it's catnip, Alternate Universe, Angst, Animal Instincts, Animal Traits, But it won't be concerning until chapter two, Cute Animals, Drug Use, Ed accidentally says something kind of concerning, Ed doesn't know how to cat.., Edward Elric Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good job mates we're talking about our feelings, Hurt Edward Elric, I'm gonna say it does..., Last Update: We talked with the cat and we are on our way to self acceptance!, No Romance, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Parental Roy Mustang, Protective Roy Mustang, That tag just makes me happy, This Au is just how many cat jokes I can make out of the titles, This just in: Locals spot a German Sheppard trying to adopt a small Tabby cat., Update on the German Sheppard: He found a raccoon friend and they made the cat cry., catnip, it's catnip so does it count?, seriously Roy come hug your kid, sorry but we need to get through all this angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29820642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetcake96/pseuds/velvetcake96
Summary: Question of the hour: Does Ed react to catnip?Answer:He shook his head again. He heard the man laughing, and other people, but Ed kept his head down. He didn’t care who saw what, because that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that this man gave him something and it was messing with his head! His instincts were acting up, and words no longer came to mind.(He couldn’t stop his tail from swaying, or his ears from relaxing, or the I want it I want it in his head.)
Relationships: Edward Elric & Maes Hughes, Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Edward Elric & Team Mustang, Maes Hughes & Roy Mustang
Series: How to Keep a Cat From Biting (Series) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2198187
Comments: 16
Kudos: 57





	1. Floating Up

**Author's Note:**

> For some strange reason the first fic in this series was received really well. And after being asked I decided to make it a series! So now it's a series. This was going to be something fun, but I made it angsty. But hey sweet interactions!
> 
> I suggest reading the first story, How to Keep a Cat From Biting, because somethings might be confusing, and if you read that it'll make a little more sense. And this has two chapters because I set something up and I'm not going to let it go to waste!
> 
> Italics is the translation for Ed and Roy's conversation.
> 
> (If you want to hit me up my tumblr is: velvetcake96 )

The stupid man grabbed his jacket while he was walking by and slipping it off him in one motion. He didn’t have time to react. Sliding his hood off of his head, and exposing his two golden cat ears. Then hooked a finger around where skin met fur and pulled his tail out of his pants leg. Putting his presented parts on full display. “What the Hell you creep!”

The man said nothing, gave a smirk, (Nothing like the Colonel signature smirk), and held it above his head. Ed jumped for it and the private took it just out of his reach.

“Give it back you fucker!” Ed’s face was bright red, (like the coat this private was holding above his head.) His tail was all fluffed up, and his ears were drawn back all the way. Ed wished that he got claws out of his transformation, that way he could just scratch the shit out of the man’s everything! But if he attacked another person he was going to be in so much trouble with that dog. 

“Come on kitten, just jump for it.” Stupid private with stupid egos that could break like a stick.

“Don’t call me that!” Ed jumped up again swiping at the precious coat in the man's hand. He was a major and a state alchemist! He shouldn’t stand for this shit! 

The older man was reaching into his back pocket, and pulled out two things. A bag full of, crushed up leaves, and a…. Dog whistle.

Ed hated that last thing. (A common ground that he and Roy can stand on.) The sound hurts his ears, and made him want to rip his ears off! His ears were already going back at the thought of it. But what piqued his interest was the bag. What the hell would crushed up leaves do?

He turned his attention back to his coat. He jumped for it and an ear piercing sound was in the air. He slammed his hands over his ears, and crouched on the floor. He was letting out soft yowls, and he was only thinking one thing: It hurts, I'll do anything to stop it.

“Are you going to stop now kitty?” His voice made Ed want to slap in the face.

Ed swiped at the man’s face, slightly scratching his face.

This made the man blow into the torture device again. (Why does it hurt worst this time!?)

His tail fluffed up and he slammed his head into the ground. He was shaking, and his mind was far away from why he was jumping at this man. When it went away again, Ed didn’t even get up. He kept his face pressed against the floor. He started purring at this point, he was trying everything to make the pain stop.

“Come on, a little whistle can’t be the thing to bring down the big bad Fullmetal Alchemist.” 

He stayed down, he really didn’t want to hear that fucking noise again. He can just make another coat. It wasn’t worth it.

He heard the back open up and felt something fall on his head. Slight snickering could be heard, but Ed didn’t care. He wiped off the stuff on his head, and smelled his hand.

Whatever the hell that stuff was it made him lightheaded. But he liked it? He felt lightheaded and happy? (What the actual fuck?)

He sat up and shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling, but it wouldn’t go away! He shouldn’t like this, this fucker drugged him, it could be slowly killing his brain cells and then he would never be able to fix his brother. The lightheaded feeling was getting worse, but he was on his way to cloud 9. He didn’t like the feeling (but he did!) He could tell he was making small ‘meowing’ noises, but they really didn’t mean anything. This isn’t what he wanted.

But part of him did, and wanted more. This deep seeded part of Ed wanted to beg for more. To make him feel better, to keep this high up. He wanted the man to give him the fucking bag, run back to the dorms and get that joke gift that Mustang got him. Ed vaguely noted that the pain had stopped, that the anger and sadness from another failed mission was gone. That the storm that always seemed to be raging was calmed.

He shook his head again. He heard the man laughing, and other people, but Ed kept his head down. He didn’t care who saw what, because that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that this man gave him something and it was messing with his head! His instincts were acting up, and words no longer came to mind.(He couldn’t stop his tail from swaying, or his ears from relaxing, or the _I want it I want it_ in his head.) 

The distress was slowly melting away, making Ed question why he was in the first place. Just the smell of it was making him feel all fuzzy. (What would happen if I licked at it?) He started pawing at the crushed up leaves on the ground. 

“Looks like the little kitty likes catnip.” The man sprinkled a little more on the ground. He decided to put some at the end of his fingers and lick it. Ed was done for, his instincts took over and Edward Elric checked out.

==========

Roy was getting real tired of the wise guy who was blowing the dog whistle. Even if it was down the hall it still hurt. He had to move to the other office because he just couldn’t take it anymore. And decided to migrate to the office with his three other subordinates that were able to come in today. Even after he moved it seemed like it got louder. Fuery was one lucky otter, because all he got out of presenting was a tail.

And it didn’t help that he was angry with Ed. He was late for their meeting, and Roy was getting to the end of his rope. 

Laughter was heard from down the other end at the hall and Roy was done. 

He got up from his chair.

“Sir?”

He let out a small growl and opened the door, looked down the hall, and saw something that made him see red.

His subordinate was sitting on his hands and knees, tail flipping in the air, his ears were drooped down, and his golden eyes were dilated, only leaving a small ring of its gold color. The kid’s red jacket was scratched at the sleeves and was thrown to the waste side. And Ed didn’t seem all there. If he was he wouldn’t be looking the way he does. He would be hissing and scratching at them, demanding that they stopped, and if that didn’t work, he would rearrange their insides. He looked at the kid a little closer and noticed bits of green in the kid's hair.

Was that..? Did they give the kid FUCKING CATNIP!? That stuff was banned from the base for a reason. 

The man in question was a private, (probably one of the new transfers), he had black hair, and brown eyes. The look on his face was bordering on sadistic (it was disgusting the way he was looking at the kid. The look made Roy want to transform and tear his jugular out!), and he had faint scratch marks across him. Roy watched as the man grabbed at Ed’s tail, causing the child to let out a small yowl. _Ow!_

And that also made Roy wonder, how did Ed’s tail get out? No matter how many times Roy said it, Ed still hid his ears and tail. Using his hood to hide his ears, and stuffing his tail in his pants leg. The only time he saw them was when Ed took off his hood in the office, or when he was in the hospital. Even on the military base Ed made sure no one saw them. 

The more he thought about it the more Roy wanted to hurt the man. Thinking about how the man basically drugged a child, but how he pulled at the kid’s tail. Any presenter with a tail said even if it didn’t hurt when it came in, it was sensitive, and didn’t want it to be pulled. Hell Ed got his caught in a door once and said it hurt like hell. His ears drew back and let out a soft growl.

“Is everything alright sir?” Hawkeye’s voice was what made him calm down a bit. But instead of responding he decided to intervene. 

“What’s going on out here?” He kept his professionalism in his voice, but really he wanted to deck the man in the face just for thinking about doing this.

Most of the crowd took this moment to leave, but he didn’t care about them. He had one man on his shit list right now. Ed looked towards the older man and gave him a smile. (Ed really isn’t in the right mind if he’s smiling at the Colonel.)

“Colonel Mustang sir!” The private dropped the bag he was holding, causing Ed to start pawing at it. 

“And you are?”

“Private Jones sir.”

“Private Jones you have ten seconds to get out of my sight before you become nothing but ash on the floor.” Roy’s voice was filled with venom, and took his glove out of his pocket for good masseur.

Jones ran for the hills dropping the cause of his earlier annoyance, and leaving a very protective dog and his subordinate.

Roy took the bag from Ed’s hands, picked up the demon whistle, and put them both in his pocket. He grabbed the discarded jacket and put it over the cat’s head. He scooped Ed up and the kid rubbed his face against his neck. “You must really be out of it, especially if you are willingly trying to get closer.”

Ed just let out a long meow pressing his face even deeper into the crock of the man’s neck. To someone who couldn’t understand what Ed said would have found his action and noise cute. But Roy found it heartbreaking, especially to what it translated to: _I’ve never been this happy in a long time.  
_

Roy’s ears folded against his head, and started slightly whimpering : _I’m sorry._ He looked around before giving Ed a small lick on his forehead, and let out a quiet bark: _I’ll try harder to make you happier.  
_

Ed started purring a bit, rubbed against Roy’s neck and let out a small mew: _You already do.  
_

When Roy walked into his office, he laid the kid down by the window (where the sunlight would hit him), and used the kid’s jacket and as a blanket. Making sure that his ears were still concealed under the hood. Ed made a small noise: _Why did you put me down?  
_

Roy responded with another small bark: _Because I can’t work with a four foot overgrown cat hanging off me.  
_

Fuery let out a squeak of amusement.

“Is anyone going to explain to us who can’t speak animal?” Havoc was the one to say it.

Roy let out a slight sigh giving the kid one last pat on his head and stood up, claiming his spot at his desk. He took out the bag, and the torture device. “One Private Jones thought it would be a fun idea to give Fullmetal some catnip.”

“And it actually works?” Hawkeye sounded concerned. 

“Yep.” He looked towards the kid who was still on the floor eyeing the bag, tail swishing back and forth. He let out a bark: _Don’t even look at it, you can’t have it._ He handed the objects to his Lieutenant. “Can you properly dispose of this?” 

“Yes sir.” She put her gun in her holster and walked out of the room.

Ed let out a pitiful meow, his head falling on ground, tail still flicking. _No my leaves!  
_

The two presenters in the room started laughing. They’ve never heard the kid talk like that, and the fact that he was just calling catnip leaves was endearing. Ed always seemed a little more child like when he would lean into his animal characteristics. 

Ed looked at Roy and gave another meow: _Why is Hawkeye taking my leaves?  
_

Roy just gave a smile to Ed, turning back to the two men in the room. “Now that we know that catnip will cause an effect on Fullmetal, we are going to try to keep it far away from the office, got it?”

“Yes sir.”

At this point Ed was basking in the sunlight, his breath was slowing down, and he seemed to be getting, in the kid’s words: So sleepy that he could take a dirt nap. He curled in tighter burrowing into his jacket, gave Roy a smile and one last meow: _Thank you for coming after me,_ and closed his eyes.

Roy gave a small bark: _I always will_ , and went back to his paperwork. He didn’t look over at Fuery’s small smile, or Havoc’s confused face. He didn’t think about the man who caused this, or the come down that Ed would have when he woke up. He just thought of one thing, the phrase that Ed said earlier: _You already do._


	2. Up and Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He pulled his hood up, locked the door, and pulled out his pocket watch, 20:19, some stores would still be open.. Putting it back in his pocket, Ed started his walk of shame. He just wanted his instincts to shut up, but thinking about doing this made his inner cat ecstatic. Maybe this was one of his better ideas, because he was already feeling a little better! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I did it! I finished it before I needed to. Kitten Ed is my favorite Ed to write.

When he took Ed home that night, the kid seemed down. He just kept looking at the ground , and was surprisingly quiet. When asked he would just say something along the lines of: My head is killing me, or I’m just tired. At some point Ed was just purring to himself, and Roy found it weird. Especially the fact that the kid was anything but happy. (So that means two things: one, Ed was just in his own little world and it’s subconscious, two, He was hurt in some way, and was trying to make it feel better.) 

When they stopped outside the dorms the concern Roy felt for Ed was one thousand times worse. “Have Alphonse help you alright?”

Ed mumbled something under his breath, but the kid seemed to forget that Roy’s hearing was a little better than most. “He’s not here.”

“Where is he?”

Ed’s little meow was his answer: _Resembool_

Roy set his head on the steering wheel, of course his brother would be gone. The one time they needed to be their usual attached at the hip! “Just take care alright,” he turned back to the kid, “I expect you to be up, because I’m gonna pick you up.”

Ed nodded his head, closed the car door, and made his way towards the dorms. But before he walked into the building, he gave Roy a small wave and went inside.

Roy stared at the spot where Ed was for a second. He wanted to help him, but with personnel visiting from central, he didn’t have time to worry about his kid. His ears folded against his head, letting out a small whimper. He’s worried about the kid, but he can’t really do anything. (Stupid instincts making me worry about Fullmetal.) He started up the car again, he needed to rest, he had a certain raccoon that he needed to talk to, and hopefully he will be able to tomorrow.

==========

Ed didn’t even turn on the lights in his dorm, he just slid off his jacket, coat, and pants. He sat on his bed and ran a hand down his tail, trying to straighten it out after being tucked in his pants leg. The sensation made him feel a bit better, making his soft purring a little stronger. Once his tail’s fur was lying right, he tried to get the fur on his ears to do the same. He always hated when his fur wasn’t laying correctly, it felt weird and he didn’t like it. His tail was flicking in boredom.

Ed pulled his hair out of his signature braid, letting a golden river fall down his back. He ran his fingers through his hair, noting that someone got the catnip out of his hair. His tail stopped flicking, and his ears drooped a little. The young alchemist was shocked to find himself disappointed about that fact. 

His purring quiet down again, his ears folding against his head. He shouldn’t be upset about this. He should be glad that the stuff was out of his system, and he truly was. But he was upset that the good feeling was gone. (I’m better than this. I shouldn’t want that high again.) He closed his eyes for a second only to snap back open at the _Want Out Want Out_ in his head 

His inner cat has been bugging him since he woke up after sleeping off the high. Ed knew he had to give into his instincts at some point. And today didn’t help that constant battle, for the first time in a long time he had given in and he didn’t care about it. He was _happy_ to give in to his instincts. His skin itched for transformation, his instincts _screaming_ for a better release. Just talking to Mustang in their language wasn’t enough anymore. (Even if it wasn’t that often) He hadn’t done anything like that willingly since his first shift. It’s been a good month or two, and he still hasn't been that small kitten again. He was told when his head was clear again that he should try to sift at least once a week. (Apparently having multiple animal parts made that want stronger) 

Maybe it felt good because he was acting as what he was? That it made him feel comfortable about leaning on his instincts. 

Ed stopped running his hand through his hair. He closed his eyes again, for once listening to his counterpart for a second. Flinching at the feeling. That part of him still wanted that fucking catnip, but it also wanted ‘out’. The feeling of _I want I want_ was ten times worse, but it wasn’t just about the catnip anymore.

Ed decided to do something about it. He pulled his hair in a loose ponytail, put his pants back on, stuffing his tail back in, and sliding his jacket back on. He wasn’t going to actively look for catnip, he was just going to look for _something_ to make his cat counterpart happy. He wasn’t going to touch the toy Mustang got him. (Not because he didn’t want it to get messed up. No nothing like that!) It was just a little plush, and it didn’t seem like a lot of fun.

He pulled his hood up, locked the door, and pulled out his pocket watch, _20:19_ , some stores would still be open.. Putting it back in his pocket, Ed started his walk of shame. He just wanted his instincts to shut up, but thinking about doing this made his inner cat ecstatic. Maybe this was one of his better ideas, because he was already feeling a little better! 

*

*

Ed could feel the woman’s eyes on him. (She probably knows. She’s judging you.) He felt his tail start fluffing up, and his ears pressed harder in his head. He couldn’t purr to make it feel better because it would make a noise, and that would give him away even more. He has almost kissed death on multiple occasions, and did it with a smile. (But I’m scared of buying cat toys..)

His golden sight looked over every object, and the more he looked, the more uneasy he got. He didn’t know what cats like! He barely knew what he liked, so trying to think of something that would make a cat happy was ten times harder. He wanted to throw in the towel and just go back to ignoring his instincts again. But this will make him feel better. 

He just grabbed three things off the shelf, and speed walked to the counter. He kept his head down. When he was given the bag, he smelled it again. He felt slightly lightheaded again, (It’s probably not a good idea to use this again today), and he was relaxing a bit. He reached in his bag, and pulled out a small drawstring bag. “I think you put this in here on accident..”

“This is for a cat, right?”

Ed nodded his head.

“Cats seem to be more interested in toys when they have a little catnip on them.” She gave Ed a smile, and went back to what she was doing before.

He put the drawstring bag back in, and walked out. (I did it! It was such a mundane thing, but I did it!) He let himself purr a bit in celebration, and walked back to the dorms. 

*

*

He stared at his small collection. A little feather toy, a mouse, something with a bell, and the catnip. (He kept the last thing at arms length). His tail flipping back and forth. He didn’t know if he should shift or just go to town on the little toys. He pawed at the little mouse, was he doing this right? Is there a way to do this right!? (This is stupid, I should be doing something more productive.) He hit the mouse off the bed, letting out a small sigh. 

Ed’s eyes wandered to the bag at the end of his bed. (It would make this a little easier..) Reaching over he grabbed the object, giving it a little sniff, and allowing himself to shift. 

The little mouse looked so much more interesting, Ed winded up and pounced at his enemy. Snapping his teeth around his victim, and shook his head a bit. How dare an intruder get in his room, it will pay for it’s crimes with death! Once he felt like the peasant paid for what it’s done, Ed hopped back onto the bed, and dropped his prize. 

He heard a small noise, the small kitten turned its head to the source of the sound and he pounced again. He liked the noise it made, and the bright color just made him a little more interested. He kept baping at it and it rolled across the room. Ed followed behind, not wanting to lose his new fun sounding friend. 

Ed chased around his buddy for a little while, but after a bit he was getting tired. He picked up his new best friend and put it on the bed. Ed hopped back down to get one more thing. Something that will make his nap legendary! He gently picked up the big dog plush (it was huge to him, but in normal size it was kinda small), and dragged it to the edge of his bed.

Looking up Ed realized it might be hard to get it up there. The black plush was big and kinda heavy, but it smelled like one of his favorite people! The cat swung his head back, jumped up and threw the dog on the bed; he landed on the floor with a thud. But the plush made its mark.

He got it up there! A small meow was his sound of celebration, and he claimed his spot on the bed. Ed settled on the pillow, snuggling into the plush by his side, breathing in the smell of his favorite dog.

 _Dad is here, he’ll keep me safe and happy._ He gave the dog a small lick and let himself drift off. Even if he was coming back down, he was happy to feel safe for the first time in years.

==========

Roy wasn’t very happy to see a rubber ball roll into his apartment when he opened the door. Roy growled at the object: _Damn it._

His ears picked up on an amused chitter: _Good morning to you too Roy!_

His obsidian eyes landed on the raccoon sitting in front of him, his green eyes shining with mischievous. His tail flicking with excitement, and ears straight up. 

“Morning Hughes.”

“Hey.” He gave a slight wave. 

“May I ask, why are you sitting outside my door?”

“I got here early this morning, and you know, nocturnal animal counterpart.”

“You're going to regret that later.” Roy locked his door, and turned towards the Lieutenant Colonel. “Why didn’t you, I don’t know, go to a hotel or something?” He started his way down the stairs, happy that his apartment was at the edge of the hallway.

“Are you saying you’re not happy to see me?” The man followed behind, his voice teasing.

“No Maes I’m not.” He let out a small bark: _Trash Panda_

“I’m hurt Roy, wounded even.” He gave his own snort: _Mutt_ At the bottom of the stairs, Maes pulled out a photo. “Look at how big my little Elicia is getting! It’s she adorable?”

Roy rolled his eyes, opening the door and holding it open for the green eyed man. “Yes, the cutest around.” His voice was dry, and full of sarcasm. He got into the drivers side, and waited for the other man to get in.

“Doesn’t Hawkeye usually drive you around?” 

“Have to pick the kid up for work.” He started the car, and started down the road.

“Why?”

“His brother went home, and I don’t feel comfortable with Edward walking to work alone.”

Maes made another chitter noise: _The dog got himself a pup!_

Roy let out a low long growl: _The brat is not my ‘pup’._

*

*

Roy knocked on the dorm door, and waited. He waited for a kid with a messy bedhead, or an already dressed angry child ready to kill him right there, but nothing happened. The silence goes on for a few more seconds, before he knocks again. Still no Ed. He put his hand on the doorknob surprised to find the door unlocked. “Fullmetal?”

You could hit your head with the tension in the air. Roy slid his gloves on, and looked back to his comrade. He watched as the other man gave a small flick of a wrist, one of his many throwing knives landing in his hand and gave a slight nod.

He cracked open the door and looked in, and froze at the sight in front of him. The tension fell out of Roy’s shoulders, breathing out a sigh of relief. He swung it open, and looked around for gold.

“Did Ed finally let Alphonse get a cat?” He slid his knife back up his sleeve, sensing that there was no real danger.

He looked at the bed, and smiled in amusement. On the bed were three cat toys, a drawstring bag, and a small kitten snuggling into a dog plush. ( Wait..) The kitten had his face buried in the plush, only showing his closed eye, his arms were trying to wrap around the plush, and he had his tail laying over it as well. Soft purring was the only sound in the room. “Not exactly..”

The men walked into the small dorm room, Maes made a slight screaming sound, and covered his mouth before it could wake up the cat. _That is Ed!_

Roy ignored his friend’s freak out, crouched by the kitten, and started nudging him with his finger. “Come on Fullmetal, get up. If I'm late Hawkeye is going to kill me.” The response he got made his counterpart freak out.

Ed turned his head licked at his finger, and went back to snuggling into the plush. Letting out a small mew: _Dad._

Roy wasn’t even listening to his nocturnal friend chittering in excitement about how he was right, Roy was too busy hearing his counterpart scream at him. _How dare you! You tried to wake him up, and still called you dad!_ (Shut up.) He nudged Ed again. 

But the kid didn’t even respond this time.

Roy looked at the small black plush, griped at the ear, tugged it out of Ed’s grip. He studied the little toy in his grip, expecting it to be a little scratched up, but it wasn’t. The only thing different about it was that it was covered in golden fur. He gave this to Ed as a joke, telling him after a bad day he could just beat it up, so to find it still intact was kinda strange. (Especially because Ed was cuddling with it!) 

What snapped him out of his thoughts was the sound of distress meowing. He watched as the little cat pawed at the pillow, probably looking for his plush. 

Maes seemed to sober up at the sound of the meows and gave a slight hiss. _Roy, you're not supposed to make the kitten cry!_

 _How was I supposed to know that taking away the toy would make him cry!_ Roy started petting Ed, trying to calm him down. “Ed it’s fine!”

The kitten quieted down for a second, his golden eyes staring up at Roy. His usual sharp intelligents wasn't there, at this moment Ed was just a small cat panicking about the fact his comfort item was gone. (And it didn’t help that Ed seemed younger when he leaned on instinct.) But this wasn’t just his instincts, this was something else. (When was the last time you shifted?) Ed rubbed into his hand, vibrating because of the strong purrs that was coming off him.

“I don’t think he’s shifted in awhile.”

Hughes crouched down by the two animals, getting a better look at the kitten. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“When he first transformed.” Roy smiled, remembering the few minutes he got to spend with the kitten. “That was two months ago.”

“Is this when he’s supposed to?”

“No, every week or two.” 

The more Roy thought about it the more it made sense. The kid had seemed down for a while. Maybe that’s why when he crashed down again, he was so sad. Ed made sure that the world didn’t know he was a presenter, he never did things that would give it away, so maybe he didn’t even do anything when he was alone? He couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped him, how bad it hurts when you have to hold back, that feeling of utter wrongness

He felt something brush behind his ears, and he turned towards the raccoon. _Hughes!_

He gave a shrug, “You had that sad puppy look on your face, I couldn’t help it.” 

Rolling his eyes he returned his attention to the kitten. Roy was just mindlessly petting the kid, and it seemed to do the trick because Ed stopped his distressed mews. “Ed can you change back?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if he stayed like this for awhile?”

“We have work.”

“Oh yeah..”

He sat the dog plush down, and started nudging Ed again. “Come on Ed, I know you know how to change back.”

_I don’t want to.._

“Why not?”

_I feel better._

Maes cuts in, “If you transform more often then you wouldn’t feel bad.”

Ed looked down, he was acting a little bit like himself, but instead of talking, he just hissed at Maes. (Yep Ed is back in the building.)

He picked up the kitt and put his mouth over Ed’s ear.

_Bastard what are you doing!_

_I will bite down, stop hissing at people!_

Hughes started laughing.

Ed was still softly purring to himself, just like he was last night. When he struggled out of Roy’s grip and transformed, Ed still looked down. His ears stayed drooped down, and his tail layed limp on the floor. “Can you two leave?”

“We’ll wait outside.”

“Alright.”

And that’s what they did, they waited for the small kid, and when Ed stepped out he didn’t question the weird smell on the kid. (It’s probably because he didn’t wash his jacket from yesterday.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can see why I had to add another chapter.. We where going to deal with our problems, but I realized that it would be easier to just write another chapter. But hey, I had too much fun writing fluffier stuff.
> 
> Anyway I hoped you enjoyed and Thank you for reading!


	3. Crashing Down (But Being Fine)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m taking you off of active duty.”
> 
> Ed was silent for a second, staring at the floor, miles away from the situation, and then it looked like the words processed through because the kid shot to his feet. “Why!”
> 
> “I don’t want to take the risk of you keening over during a mission, and lading yourself in the hospital.” Roy didn’t add the ‘again’ because that kid was already accident prone, and whatever was going on wouldn’t help the situation.
> 
> “I’m not going to ‘keen over’, I’m fine!”
> 
> “Have you looked in the mirror lately? You look like a corpse.” 
> 
> Ed didn’t really say anything, he had that look on his face, the look he got when he was restraining his purring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot the Fun Animal fact on the last chapter, and now you get two!  
> Fun animal fact: Raccoons can purr like cats, but unlike cats they only purr when happy!
> 
> Surprise Surprise we are talking about our feelings!

Before Ed did small things in the office that seemed to calm his inner cat, but now he’s not even doing that. His hood never comes off, and he stopped doing anything cat-like. When bored he would start playing with a pen on his desk, the pen stays in his pocket. You could tell he was comfortable because he would start purring, he looked like he was physically restraining himself not to. The kid looked sick, and that he was about to fall over. And Roy didn’t feel comfortable about leaving Ed alone at all anymore, he was scared that the kid would do something rash.

It’s been awhile since the incident at the door room, and he hoped that Ed would learn that not shifting isn’t good. But it seemed like he was thinking the opposite. 

The cat in question told him that he was shifting: At least once a week. And when he asked Alphonse he said that Ed was telling the truth. He even talked about how Ed’s favorite toy to pick on was a little mouse. (Then why did the kid start doing this?)

Roy could tell Ed was at the end of his rope, something was going to snap, and something was going to happen. (Good or bad Roy didn’t really know..)

“I’m taking you off of active duty.”

Ed was silent for a second, staring at the floor, miles away from the situation, and then it looked like the words processed through because the kid shot to his feet. “Why!”

“I don’t want to take the risk of you keening over during a mission, and lading yourself in the hospital.” Roy didn’t add the ‘again’ because that kid was already accident prone, and whatever was going on wouldn’t help the situation.

“I’m not going to ‘keen over’, I’m fine!”

“Have you looked in the mirror lately? You look like a corpse.”

Ed didn’t really say anything, he had that look on his face, the look he got when he was restraining his purring.

“You're allowed to purr.”

“Why would I do that? I’m not exactly happy about the fact I’m off of active duty!” His legs were shaking, and the strain on his face was getting worse.

“Sit down before you pass out.”

“How many times do I gotta say it, I’m-” Ed let out a small cough, using his hand to cover his mouth. “Fine..” His voice was strained.

“I know you’ve been restraining them, and I’m done turning a blind eye. So why are you not purring?” 

Ed didn’t say anything.

Roy got up, and strides over to Ed. He really didn’t want to do this, but he kid was hurting himself at this point. “Pull off your hood.”

“No.” The kid tried to walk away, but Roy grabbed the back off his jacket, and spun him back around. “What the-”

Roy yanked down the hood, pinched at the back of his neck, making sure the kid wasn’t going anywhere, and started scratching at the back of Ed’s ears

The strain on the kid’s face was at its worst, a few purrs got out, but is still holding back. He couldn’t even speak back, because he was to focus on not letting his purrs out.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this to yourself, but it’s bad enough that you hide the fact that you're a presenter. So I’ll ask again, why are you doing this?”

“Because if I do, then my instincts take over.” 

“They shouldn’t because you transform.” He kept rubbing at Ed’s ears, but also at the back of his head.

Ed’s ears went down, pressing into his head, tears filling his eyes. “I really haven’t.”

“What do you mean by that?” He stopped petting at Ed’s ears. The only way that he would transform without any say in it was… The grip on Ed’s neck got a little tighter, “What are you doing?!” 

Ed wasn’t even looking at him anymore, looking at the ground in shame. 

“Edward Elric what are you taking!?”

The kid still didn’t say anything, but he was making small noises. _It hurts, we didn’t mean to, I’m sorry. Make it stop hurting!_ The little noises were so quiet that Roy had trouble hearing him, but still could.

He wasn’t even addressing his instincts as a part of himself anymore, wasn’t even conscious with the noises he was making. 

Roy let go of the back of the kid’s neck, causing him to fall to the ground and actually start purring. Roy watched as the trembling kid reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a small drawstring bag, and put it in his hand. “I wasn’t actively looking for it. It was given to me, and every time I shift I’ve had that in my system.” He spoke with an emotionless tone, not even looking at Roy.

He didn’t need to open the bag to know what was in it. He could just tell from the smell. Catnip, the kid got his hands on catnip. Now in retrospect Roy was glad it wasn’t something worse, but it was still bad. They still didn’t know all that it would do to the human body. He crouched down by the kid, lightly grabbed his head…

And bit down on his ear. (Hard enough that it would hurt, but he didn’t want to draw blood.)

Ed flinched at the feeling, but didn’t vocally protest against the punishment. Still purring, (Probably for emotional pain.) and making small noises. _Were sorry, don’t hate me, don’t leave, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry._

Letting out a sigh Roy backed off from the cat ear, “I'm not going to leave, but why are you getting high while shifted?”

“It’s dumb, and it’s not an excuse.” The kid calmed down a bit, and took a deep breath, “It made my instincts happy, and It felt better that way.”

Roy started rubbing at the tip of Ed’s ear, “What to know what would make my instincts happy?”

“What?”

“Chasing cars. Every time I hear one pass by I just get the urge to jump out the window and go after it.”

Ed let out a small laugh, his ears lifting up, calming down a little bit.

“Yeah yeah laugh it up.” He started petting Ed’s head, “What I’m saying is, there are things that make your instincts happy, but you need to work with them. I may not chase cars, but I allow myself to do other things.”

The kitten pressed himself in the crook of Roy’s neck, “Do you know why I hide my presented parts?”

“You said something about nicknames?”

“That, but so people couldn’t do things like Jones did. I never felt that helpless before, and I guess that if no one knew... “

“No one can use it against you.” Scratching at Ed’s ears, he picked the kid up, and sat him on one of the couches. Letting the kid rest his head in his lap. “I can’t say people wouldn’t use it against you, but It’s less likely than you think.”

“I just don’t like feeling helpless.” Snuggling into Roy a bit, the kitten finally let himself fully start purring, and it was so strong that Roy felt himself shaking. “And I don’t want people to have an idea of the way to make me.” 

“I know I sound like a broken record, but if you transform more often, and let yourself do what you did before, your instincts won't be affected by catnip. Well, you’ll be affected, but your instincts won’t want it afterwards.” 

_I don’t want to hide anymore._

Once again Roy licked the top of Ed’s head. _You don’t have to, I can help you._

Closing his eyes Ed smiled a bit, lifted his head, and licked Roy’s hand. _I’d like that…_

Roy taped his face: _Don’t go to sleep just yet, I still have work._

So instead of getting up and leaving, Ed shifted, leaning against his leg. (Young kitten Ed is back in the building.) 

“Alright.” Roy got up, picked up the small kitten and gave him one last lick on the forehead. When he sat down he let the kitten settle in his lap. He smiled down at the sleeping form, his animal counterpart feeling at peace.

*

*

“Come on kid, we don’t have all day!” Roy stood outside Ed’s dorm, waiting for him to come out. Ed still had some problems from when he held back on his purring, and was still off of active duty. Apparently holding back a natural reaction could seriously hurt somebody, who would have known? (Everyone but Ed I guess.)

_Hold on you bastard!_

“Oh yes! Hissing at me will so make me stop!” He couldn’t help the smirk gracing itself on his face. _Keep that up and your ears are doomed!_

The door swung open revealing Ed without his red coat, his ears and tail on full display. His ears weren't sticking up, and his tail was twitching, but they were still out. “I’ll make you stop.”

Rolling his eyes Roy walked along with his subordinate, having to give a dirty look here and there at the people who would give the kid a weird look. After a bit the kid got a lot more comfortable about his presented parts being on full display, he even started purring! The kid still was uncomfortable about freely showing that he was a presenter, but Roy didn’t mind helping the kid out. So when he got a complaint from one Private Robert Jones about ending up in the hospital about a few broken bones, he had no idea where the paper went! He was a very busy man and he didn’t have time for something like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that Ed trying to except himself could be seen as a metaphor. Like hiding who you are because you don’t feel comfortable with it at first, or you’ve seen that you might not be safe. When I realized that I had a moment of: So that’s why Ed hiding the fact he was a presenter hit so close to home!
> 
> Anyway enough of my dumb stuff. I finished it! Thank you for coming along for the ride. I wanted to get this out before Sunday because of reasons! (I write fast I'm sorry) I think I'm going to write a bit for this AU for awhile. (I'm not abandoning my other story there is just some things I need to work out!)
> 
> Second animal fact: The difference between Crows and Ravens is the size! Crows are the size of pigeons, and Ravens are the size of hawks!
> 
> I hoped you enjoyed and thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay here's your fun animal fact: Dogs can have a reaction to catnip, but instead of making them hyper, it knocks them out.
> 
> Somethings I would like to point out!:
> 
> Presenters that talk in their language (basically animal sounds) is seen as something special. Mostly seen in close friends, family, or long time couples. 
> 
> Depending on what they get from presenting is how bad they react to things their animal counter parts does.  
> (Example: Even though Roy's animal reacts to catnip, he doesn't. He does do dog like things, but he has better control over it. Ed would probably respond to most cat things because he has two cat parts. And he has a harder time controlling his animal instincts.)
> 
> I thought it would be a funny to think about Ed on catnip, but as I said, it had to be angsty. I based his reaction off of my own cat, because the little guy is a brat, but I still love him. Next chapter should be out soon!
> 
> Anyway thank you for reading and I hoped you enjoyed!


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